Research Forum

Re. Post by Alun Urch on Wed, 26/02/2014 - 14:44
published by on Fri, 17/02/2017 - 19:28

I am researching the KEEN family and, despite my name, am a direct male to male KEEN descendant. During my research I have come across several URCH family members, though no direct KEEN = URCH links.

Recently, while passing through Wedmore, I noticed a derelict shop with the sign above "H W URCH" and suspect he may be Herbert William URCH b.Q3 1909 who married to Stella HARPER in Q2 1838.

I wonder whether you have any details of 1. Links between the KEEN and URCH families and 2. whether you have any ancestry details for H W URCH and Stella HARPER

Kind Regards, Robert

Comments ..

Submitted by Pat Hase on Fri, 17/02/2017 - 23:58

I'm sure than Alun will be able to give you much more detail but I do remember the shop and it sold items connected with radio and TV - a virtual treasure trove of things electrical. In Hazel Hudson's book "The New Wedmore Chronicles" she mentions that on VE Day in 1945 there was dancing in the streets and "Herb Urch rigged up an amplifier". So it does look as if your supposition is correct.

The Wells Journal - Friday 01 July 1938 has this article:

WEDMORE WEDDING The wedding took place, at St. John’s, Axbridge, of Mr. Herbert William Urch, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Urch. of Church Street, Wedmore, and Miss Stella Harper, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harper, of Park Road, Tredegar, The Rev. J. C. Reynish, rector of Axbridge, officiated. Given away by her uncle, Mr. Harper, of Bath, the bride wore white satin cloque with wreath and veil. The bridesmaids were Miss Ruth Durston, of Axbridge, and Miss Lilian Jones, Bath. The best man was Mr. Ivor Durston (brother-in-law of the bridegroom). The honeymoon is being spent on a motor tour of South Devon. The bride travelled in a brown two-piece suit with hat to match.

Do your KEEN connections come from this part of Somerset? We have that surname in several of our parish transcriptions.

Submitted by on Sat, 18/02/2017 - 13:35

Thank you very much Pat Hase for your feedback. I look forward to hearing more especially if Alun URCH has any details of H W URCH ancestors or of any links between the URCH and KEEN families. So far, the URCH entries in my ged file are an orphan group. Yes, my KEEN ancestors were from Meare with great-grandparents being Richard James KEEN b.1847 Meare and Catherine Ann CORP b.1853 West Pennard. Kind Regards, Robert

Submitted by on Sun, 19/02/2017 - 17:56

Hi Robert,

I know only of one link between the Urch and Keen families and that is of a Jane Urch widow of a John Urch who was baptised in Banwell on the 20 February 1722 / 3 to parents John & Ann Urch nee Churches. He married an unknown Jane circa 1758 - Marriage not found yet. John Urch was buried in Banwell on the 16 June 1770 and his widow Jane Urch married Widower Francis Keen in Banwell on the 27 May 1782.

Herbert William Urch was baptised in Blackford near Wedmore on the 13 September 1909 to parents William James Urch and Ethel Mary Urch nee Blackmore. William James & Ethel Mary Urch had 7 Children but one didn't survive and she was Gladys Urch born in 1921.

William James Urch was a Jeweller / Watchmaker and was born in the 2nd Qtr of 1879 to parents William & Caroline Urch nee Sellick. This William Urch was baptised in Blackford nr Wedmore on the 29 November 1835 to parents James & Sarah Urch nee Durbin.

I can go further back if you require but the earlier dates are missing because their ancestors were Anabaptists and no births nor baptisms are available due to their faiths. I can only fathom out their birth years from the dates of their burials and only if their ages were supplied.

If you require further information please let me know and I will try to help out.

Alun Urch

Submitted by on Wed, 22/02/2017 - 15:24

Hello Alun,

Thank you very much for the details of Herbert William URCHâ€™s family including the sad loss of his sister Gladys. At the risk of being intrusive, was Herbert William your father? Such links to the present bring family trees to life for me.

Thank you also for details of the marriage between widow Jane URCH (nÄ—e ?) and widower Francis KEEN in 1782. I have identified some of my KEEN ancestors born during the 1700â€™s, mainly in and around Meare, though I have found no Francis KEEN. I wonder whether he might be related to my KEENs and whether you have any further details about him and his relations?
Similarly, do you know how John URCH 1722/23 (parents John URCH = Ann CHURCHES) connects with the ancestors of Herbert William URCH?

I hope this isn't too much to ask.

Kind regards, Robert

Submitted by on Thu, 23/02/2017 - 21:56

Hi Robert,

No, Herbert William Urch is not directly related to me. My family of Urch's came from the Chelvey area of Bristol, Bedminster and ended up in South Wales working in the Coal Mines around Risca in Monmouthshire. I live in Barking in Essex, East of London. My father was Aubrey Urch who was born in Risca, Monmouthshire in 1913. He passed away in 1968.

I have a One Name Study of my surname and although it is far from completion, at the moment I have about 2,500 Urch births/baptisms listed which commence about the year 1530 up to 2004. Not many by any standard, my surname is extremely rare.

I have often taken it that as there are so few Urch's, that we are all related in some small way.

I can trace most Urch Families back to the 1500's, but am still missing some connections due to missing records.

I have made educated guess's on some Urch family connections because I don't have all the facts, but these have usually panned out.

These educated guess's are ones where records are missing, especially on the Anabaptist records, where no baptisms are recorded, these were mainly from the Mark area.

Francis Keen was I believe baptised in Banwell on the 24 August 1736 to parents Francis & Mary Keen nee Hurnman who were married on the 11 May 1736. Francis Keen married Jane Laney in Banwell on the 1 April 1755. Jane Keen nee Laney his wife was buried in Banwell on the 26 May 1779.

Francis Keen was buried in Banwell on the 18 September 1817 aged 81.

Meare is only about 15 miles to Banwell, so your Keen family could be related to Francis Keen, I cannot trace where Francis Keen's parents came from as yet, I suspect the family name was KEENE and goes back to the year 1636 in Banwell.

I cannot rightly state if John Urch was directly connected to Herbert William Urch. If he was it goes way back to the early 1600's, with the likes of Leonard Urch birth circa 1579 and his son Alexander Urch born 1617.

Alun Urch

Submitted by on Sat, 25/02/2017 - 17:44

Hello Alun,

Thank you very much for your time and trouble with my KEEN/URCH queries. I made the mistake of confusing you with Alan C URCH b. Q1 1945, Wells District, a son of Herbert William URCH and Stella HARPER, by suspecting a possible transcription error. There was also a daughter, Leslie URCH b. Q4 1943, Wells.

Your mention of Francis KEEN, both baptised and married in Banwell, is intriguing because I have nine members of the BANWELL family in my file, though none was born in Banwell. In particular, they include Jane BANWELL b.1853, Meare, who married George KEEN in 1887. So far I have found no ancestors for her.

I wonder whether the BANWELL family name derived from Banwell the place and whether the BANWELL family originated there. Surely there must be a connection. Why didnâ€™t they leave us a note!

Just for interest, I have four children for George KEEN=Jane BANWELL all born in Romford, just down the road from you.

Thank you again for your help and I wish you good sleuthing. Robert.

Submitted by on Sat, 25/02/2017 - 22:06

Hi Robert,

Wrong one, my name Alun is the Welsh edition of Alan. Easy mistake.

I was born in Romford so I know it well.

Good hunting to you as well.

Alun Urch

Submitted by on Sun, 26/02/2017 - 7:37

Hi. Alan Urch - son of the radio shop proprietor - was a drinking pal of mine in the 60s. He has a brother Les, who was a professional ocean sailor, crewing large yachts to various exotic destinations.I don't know what became of Les.
I called at the old shop in Wedmore a few years ago and met up with Alan, who lived in the house at the rear of the property. Alan married Joan in Weston-super-Mare in the 70s and had two children - although they did part ways some years later.
Mr and Mrs Urch had a bungalow built at the (then) far end of the village on the Glastonbury road. Alan had two great pals - Ray Ham, who came from Mark and moved to Cheddar, and Peter (Percy) Sharp who went off to university and I don't know if he returned. You may be able to trace more info from the above...

Submitted by Pat Hase on Sun, 26/02/2017 - 14:40

Whilst not wanting to curtail this exchange of information - as this appears now to be dealing with people who may still be alive please can you send any comments directly to the person involved rather than post online. You can do this by clicking on the name of the person who submitted the comment which will take you to their page where there is a contact button for you to email them directly. Thank you.